Yarn processing



June 3, 1969 F, c. FIELD, JR 3,447,302

YARN PROCESSING Filed Jan. 30. 1959 INVENTOR FREDERICK C. FIELD, J1:

ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,447,302 YARN PROCESSING Frederick C.Field, Jr., Wilmington, Del., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours andCompany, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Continuation-impartof application Ser. No. 450,075, Aug. 16, 1954. This application Jan.30, 1959, Ser. No. 790,789

Int. Cl. D02g 3/04 US. Cl. 57-157 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Achenille-like yarn characterized by high bulk and stability undertensile stress is provided by feeding at least two groups of filamentsat considerably different rates through a zone of turbulence, producedby a fluid jet, so that the groups are combined with one forming astress-bearing core and the other forming highly convoluted filamentsextending outward in a multiude of elongated loops.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part ofcopending application Ser. No. 450,075, filed Aug. 16, 1954, and nowabandoned.

This invention relates to processing of yarn so as to impartchenille-like and other desirable properties thereto.

A well-known type of novelty yarn is denoted by the term chenille (fromthe French for caterpiH-ar), which signifies a generally bristly ortufted construction conventionally produced by extensive cutting andtwisting of a woven structure or by interlacing of relatively shortlengths among elements of a twisted filamentary structure. Chenilleyarns find use in bedspreads, curtains, draperies, rugs, and othertextile articles, as well as in decorative ropes and trimmings.Manufacture of conventional chenille yarn is a relatively slow andcostly operation.

A primary object of the present invention is production of yarn havingto a desirable extent the outward appearance of a chenille yarn. Anotherobject is formation of yarn into a novel bulky yarn. Other objects ofthe invention will be apparent from the following description and theaccompanying diagrams.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation of apparatus useful according tothe present invention. FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of a jet or nozzleelement of the ap paratus of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a side section of theapparatus of FIGURE 2. FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal view of multifilamentyarn treated by the apparatus of FIGURE 2. FIGURE 5 is a transversesection of treated multifilament yarn containing unconvolutedfilamentary core.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished byforming along the length of yarn a multitude of elongated loops whosepresence therein is maintained upon application of substantialextensional stress thereto and optionally including an unconvolutedfilamentary stress-bearing core in the yarn. A particularly desirableyarn, characterized by high bulk and stability under tensile stresses,is provided when a filamentary stress-bearing core member is combinedwith the loopy yarn. In the combination, the highly convoluted componentis known hereinafter as the effect member. This duplex structure is heldtogether by an entanglement between the elements of the two members.

The invention comprehends provision of a highly twisted yarn structurecharacterized by presence of elon- 3,447,302 Patented June 3, 1969 gatedloops spaced therealong protruding to a considerable extent from theyarn axis and at angles greater than about 30, preferably substantiallyperpendicular thereto for maximum bulk. Likewise, in the core-effectyarn, the elongated lOOpS of the effect member also extend outwardlyfrom the core members at angles greater than about 30. The elongatedloops are produced conveniently by passing the yarn through a zone offluid turbulence as described hereinafter.

As shown in FIGURE 1, yarn 1 to be treated according to this inventionmay be supplied from package 6 through pigtail guides 2 and 3, to passabout cork cot 5 rotating in contact with drive roll 7 and into the nipof this feed-roll arrangement. The yarn then enters jet or nozzle 9;from the jet outlet the yarn is drawn through pigtail 8 about drive roll11 and into the nip of it with cot 10, about which are yarn passes onits way to the twister. The yarn goes through center guide 13 andthrough traveler 14 moving about ring 15 mounted on rail 16, then ontobobbin 17, rotated on spindle 18 by belt 19. Core yarn 21, which issupplied from package 22 through pigtail guide 23, also passes throughguide 8, the forwarding rolls, center guide, the traveler, and ontobobbin 17, along with the yarn treated by the jet.

Details of jet or nozzle 9 appear in FIGURES 2 and 3. Housing receivescasing 31 of tube 32 in bore 33, and screw 34 holds the tube adjustablytherein. Side 35 of the housing, through which screw 34 passes intothreaded side 36, is separated therefrom by slit 37 extending verticallyfor a considerable part of the housing length. Screw 38 threaded intothe top of the housing fastens clamp 39 to hold venturi member 40 inplace. Coaxial with bore 33 of the housing when the elements areassembled is bore 41 through one side of the venturi member, which hasrecess 42 as an extension of the bore in the opposite side acrossventuri throat 43. Gasket 47 encircles neck 48 of the venturi member andfits between it and a step or recess in the top of the housing. Threadedair-intake 51 is visible at the base of the housing, which has main bore52 coaxial with throat 43 of the venturi member; a considerable angleintervenes between bore 33 and the main bore of the housing and betweenbore 41 and the throat of the venturi.

Operation of the apparatus is easily understood. An operator strings upthe yarn to be treated by the jet, drawing it from the package andpassing it through the various guides and between the feed rolls andthen placing it at the nut-like entrance of the intake or yarn tube.Flow of air through the jet carries the yarn through the yarn tube andout the end thereof into the venturi throat and thence out the mouththereof. T urbulance attends the passage through the jet, and the yarnemerging therefrom is changed greatly in appearance. A longitudinal viewof this yarn appears in FIGURE 4. Except for increased twist theconsolidated central region or body of the yarn is essentially like thatof the starting yarn,

and the striking difference lies in the appearance of a great manyelongated loops extending from this central region to a distancetherefrom equivalent to many times the diameter of the body of the yarn.

The operator also normally introduces at least one ordinary unconvolutedmonofilament, multifilament or spun yarn member along with that treatedby the jet and strings both of them through a guide and between winduprolls then through the traveler of the ring twister and onto the bobbin.Windup proceeds in normal manner, accomplishing the additional functionof incorporating the unconvoluted yarn as a stress-bearing core memberin the product. FIGURE 5, which is a section taken in a planeperpendicular to the axis of the yarn, shows the distribution of loopscompletely about the body of the yarn. Three unconvoluted core membersare distinguishable from filaments of the looped component in thedrawing by somewhat larger diameter. The external appearance of theproduct is substantially unchanged from that of the yarn treated by thejet.

Example I Commercial multifilament nylon yarn of 80-68-13Z count (i.e.,having 68 filaments, 80 total denier, and Z twist of 13 turns per inch)is fed at a rate of 487 yards per minute (y.p.m.) to a jet of the typedescribed, supplied with air at gage pressure of 84 pounds per squareinch (p.s.i.g.). From the jet outlet the yarn, which takes on apronounced chenille-like appearance is fed together with 40-34- /2Znylon multifilament, supplied at 90 y.p.m., to a down twister (Whitintype C-2) and is wound on a bobbin at the rate of supply of the addedcore. This amounts to an overfeed of 650% or 6.5 x of the chenilleat theindicated feed rates into various air jets and wound up onto rolls atthe indicated rates.

The method of designating the continuous filament yarns of theseexamples is the same as in Example I.

To define the spun and cotton yarns of these examples conventionalworsted count (W.C.) and cotton count (C.C.), respectively, are used.For example, a 1/25 WC. 3 denier Orion (trademark for E. I. du Pont deNemours acrylic fiber) yarn comprises a single end of 25 worsted countyarn and 20/1 C.C. Egyptian cotton yarn comprises a single end of 20cotton count yarn. The designation 2/ 32 W.C. indicates a 2 ply, 32worsted count yarn.

The type 9 air jet of the Enterprise Machine and Development Corporationis used. The abbreviations BS, DU, and EV indicate the size of the airjet; the first letter indicates the venturi size, the second, the needlesize.

TABLE I Windup Core Efiect Example Jet/Air, Speed, Speed, Speed,

Number Core Yarn-Eflect Yarn(s) p.s.l. y.p.m. y.p.m. y.p.m.

II 21034%Z N ylon- 138/70.... 20 20.1 93

300-8H Bright Acetate, 300-80-0 Scarlet Acetate.

III 14068%Z Ny1on DU/60... 9 9.5 62

1/25W.O. 3 denier "Oriorf Blue.

IV 20/1 (10. Egyptian Cotton- 138/60... 13 13. 5 50 600-160-0 ScarletAcetate.

V 2/32W.O. 3 denierrlon DU/70 20 21.5 151 1/31W.C. 80-20 Orlon-wooi.

VI 2/32W.C. 3 denier0rlon- EV/70 9 9. 42

36/2 0.0. Nylon, 1/25W.O. 3 denier Orion, 2/27W.C. 3 denier Orion,1/31W.O. 80-20 Orlon"-wool, 1/20W.O. 100% Wool, 15/1 0.0. Dacr0n-cotton,/1 0.0. Egyptian cotton.

VII 2/32W.C. 3 denier Orlon EVI70....- 9 9. 5 29 1/14W.O. 3 denierOrion.

VIII 2/32W.O. 3 denier Orlon EV/70. 9 9. 5 57 1/14W.O. 3 denier Orion.

IX 2/32W.C. 3 denier Orl0n- EV/70 9 9. 5 57 1/14W.O. 3 denier Orion.

X 20/1 0.0. Egyptian cotton- EV/ 9 9. 5 37 15/1 0.0. Daeron-cotton.

XI 20/1 O.C. Egyptian cotton EV/35 9 9. 5 100 15/1 C.C. Daeron-cotton.

XII 2/32W.C. 3 denier Orlon-- DU/ 9 9. 5 62 l/25W.C. 3 denier Orion.

XIII 1/20W.O.Wool EV/35.. 9 9. 5

1/31W.O. -20 Orlon-wool.

XIV 1/25W.O. 3 denierOrlon- EV/50- 9 9. 5 57 2/32W.C. 3 denier Orion.

XV -68%Z Nylon DU/70.... 20 20.5 61

2/32W.C. 3 denier Orion, 2/27W.O. 3 denier Orion.

XVI 140-68%Z Nylon 20 20 93 2/32W.C. 3 denier Orion, 2/27W.O. 3 denierOrion.

XVII 1/14W.O. 3 denierOrlon-- EV/50 9 9.5 57

2/32W.O. 3 denier Orion."

XVIII 4 ends 70/34 %Z Nylon- BS/70... 9 10 57 2 ends, 300-80-2 ScarletAcetate; 2 ends, 300-80-0 Bright Acetate; 1 end, 70/2 Helanca, tensioned-t (5) like component. Unlike the uncored intermediate yarn, whichexhibits a low yield point (tension at which slippage of the yarn owingto distortion or removal of the loops overcomes the effect of theelastic modulus), the final product resists permanent extension in theabsence of sufiicient force to break the added core filaments. Viewed atarms length, the yarn appears to have a multitude of loose endsextending therefrom more or less perpendicular thereto; only upon closeinspection do these apparent ends visually resolve themselves intoelongated loops.

Repetition of the above procedure with commercial nylon multifilamentyarn of 210-107-7Z count as the loopy effect component and two ends of40-34- /2Z nylon multifilament as the core component gave similarlysatisfactory results. Other continuous-filament materials, regardless ofchemical constituents, are similarly suitable, as the process of thisinvention is independent of the filament composition.

Examples I-IXVHI In these examples, various core and efiect yarns arefed as to remain fully extended during processing.

In the products of the other examples, the elongated loops are readilyapparent, the yarns having the general appearance of a boucl type yarn.Again, it is seen that the loops and free ends are entangled amongthemselves and the core yarn. These products appear on first glance tobe a fuzzy, angora-like yarn, except for the presence of elongated loopsentangled within the fuzzy effect system.

This fuzziness is not quite so apparent in the products of Examples Xand XI, where the elongated loops are present in a much higherpercentage than the free ends, so that the product resembles moreclearly a boucl type structure, consisting primarily of elongated loopstwisted about the core system.

In Example XVII'I, the Helanca yarn is a trademark of the HeberlinPatent Corporation for a stretch nylon yarn. This yarn is entangled withthe composite yarn to provide a bulky product comprising a core andeffect system resembling the products of the other examples,particularly those of Examples I, II, III, and IV in a chenille-likeappearance which has the additional characteristic of stretching undertensile stresses, with a return to its original length after removal ofthe stress.

The elongated loop characteristic of yarn treated according to thisinvention outlines an area closely resembling a teardrop section. Thelongitudinal extent of the loop is at least twice the greatesttransverse extent, which itself usually occurs at least about two-thirdsof the way from the apex of the loop outward. Furthermore, in theproduct of this invention the mean outermost extent of loops, measuredfrom the yarn axis, is about ten or more times the radius of the body ofthe yarn, which itself is fairly dense and well defined. An individualloop usually approximates a plane curve, and a perpendicular to theplane of the loop is more or less parallel to the axis of the yarn,often intersecting the axis at a slight-to-moderate angle, most of theloops extending outward substantially perpendicular to the axis. Anoutstanding characteristic of a substantial number of the loops in ayarn of this invention is a closed portion, usually twisted, at the baseof the individual loop, as denoted at V in FIGURE 5; this desirablefeature, which serves to support the loop proper away from the yarn bodyis attributable at least in part to the appreciable twist in thestarting yarn. As is apparent from FIGURE 4, the loops are not spaced atregular intervals along the lengths of filament but appear instead tooccur at random, frequently overlapping one another.

Overfeed (ratio of supply or feed rate to windup rate) of the effectcomponent should be on the order of several X and preferably for someuses should be on the order of thousands of percent. Attempted operationat lower speeds is conducive to intermittent action, giving a producthaving sections of apparently non-treated multifilamerits, and loweroverfeeds are detrimental to production of the desired elongated loops,overfeed and loop size being related more or less directly.

The jet itself may be operated at almost any pressure sufficient toprovide a flow of air to overfeed the yarn to the desired extent.Termination of the yarn tube in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thetube has proved satisfactory in jets whose main bore of air passageintersects the tube axis at an angle in the vicinity of forty-fivedegrees. Best results are obtained by insertion of the tube in the jetsomewhat more than halfway across the venturi throat, which usually isat least three times as large in diameter as the bore of the tube andabout twice the outside diameter of the tube. When the jet is adjustedproperly for operation according to this invention the yarn issuingtherefrom assumes a characteristic configuration, shown in elevation atI in FIGURE 1; although being drawn away from the jet outlet byforwarding rolls, the yarn neither bends abruptly over the edge of thejet outlet nor issues in a smooth arc from the mouth of the jet; insteadit moves away from the jet for some distance in line with the axis ofthe throat then makes an abrupt U-turn, returning in the oppositedirection for part of that distance before being drawn off sideways bythe rolls.

If desired, the operator may feed the core yarn into the jet along withthe yarn to be convoluted into the described configuration. This pathfor the core yarn (shown as a dashed line in FIGURE 1) requiressufficient tensioning, conveniently provided by gate tensioner 25interposed between pigtails 23 and 24, to prevent convolution of thiscomponent by action of the jet, but low enough to permit opening of thecore bundle to entangle with the effect system. Early combination of thetwo components not only minimizes separate accumulation of like staticcharges otherwise sufficient to hinder introduction of the filamentarycore but also facilitates distribution of the core filaments throughoutthe product, making for desirable uniformity.

The core and effect yarns are normally fed into the air jet at differentrates of speed. The ratio of effect speed to core speed is preferably inthe range of from about 2 to about 10 times, but may be less than 2 andas high as 50 times where special decorative effects are desired.

The products of this invention may be prepared solely from any typeyarn, both natural and synthetic. Among the natural yarns, wool andcotton are most readily adaptable to the process of this invention. Thesynthetic yarns may be either continuous filament, spun yarns of staplefibers, or elastic yarns. In preparing the core-effect type yarns,either or both of the elements may be any one of the above'yarns.

Where a continuous filament yarn is used as the effect yarn, theelongated loops are formed along the length of the individual filamentsin the yarn. The elongated loops are also formed along the lengths ofindividual staple fibers of the spun yarns. A spun yarn effect system isfurther characterized by the presence of a plurality of free endsextending outwardly from the effect system, thereby presenting a fuzzy,very soft surface, which is obviously very desirably in fabrics, towels,draperies, decorative fabrics and the like.

The product of this invention is useful for conventional chenilleapplications and additionally is suited to use in articles subject toconsiderable handling or laundering, inasmuch as the protruding portiondoes not consist of separate filamentary pieces but instead is integralwith the body of the yarn. Articles made from this yarn have apleasantly soft handle free from any scratchiness attributable in somechenille products to the characteristic protruding ends. Woven and knitfabrics of these yarns have a nappy or pile-like surface that providesbulk and obscures the body of the constituent yarns. Yarns characterizedby an effect system having elongated loops of different average heights,i.e., a multi height pile, may be prepared in accordance with thisinvention, for example, by feeding at different rates at least two yarnsinto the air jet as the effect system, in addition to the core member.Such a yarn is also provided where the effect system comprises both freeends and elongated loops, where the ends and loops are of differentaverage heights.

Fabrics may be prepared from such yarn for use as outergarments,interlinings, carpeting, upholstery, drapery, and other decorativeeffect uses whether knitted, woven, or nonwoven.

I claim:

1. A process for forming a bulky yarn comprising feeding a plurality offilamentary structures at considerably different rates into a zone offluid turbulence and withdrawing them together therefrom as a compositeyarn at a rate substantially equal to the lower feed rate, the yarnhaving the higher feed rate beingfed at a rate at least greater than itsspeed of withdrawal, whereupon the individual filaments of the structurehaving the higher feed rate are convoluted into elongated loopsextending outward from the body of the yarn, which includes the otherstructure in unconvoluted form as a stress-bearing member thereof.

2. Process comprising feeding at least two groups of twisted filamentarystructures at considerably different rates into a zone of fluidturbulence, one filamentary structure group being fed at a rate of fromabout 2 to about 50 times the rate of another group, and winding themtogether therefrom as a composite yarn at a rate substantially equal tothe lower feed rate, whereupon the filaments of the structure having thehigher feed rate are convoluted into elongated loops extending outwardfrom the body of the yarn, which includes the other structure inunconvoluted form as a stress-bearing member thereof.

3. Process of claim 2 wherein at least one of the fila 2,504,523 4/1950Harris et a1 57140 'mentary structure groups comprises staple fibersv2,783,609 3/ 1957 Breen 57140 4. Process of claim 2 wherein at least oneof the fila- 2,575,753 11/1951 Foster 57157 mental-y structure groupscomprises continuous filaments. 2,864,230 12/ 1958 Moore 57157 2,026,7361/1936 Gruber 5734 References Cited 2,852,906 9/1958 Breen 57 34 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,869,967 1/1959 Breen. 3,007,298 11/1961 Williams et al.US. 01. X.R. 3,009,309 11/1961 Breen 6161. 10 57143,160

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

